LEXUS, TOYOTA AND ACURA TOP A NEW LIST FROM CONSUMER REPORTS OF MOST RELIABLE CARS. BUT AS PATRICK PAOLANTONIO SHOWS, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR IF YOU'RE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW RIDE. SOUND OF CARS ON ROAD CONSUMER REPORTS LOOKS AT AUTOMOBILE RELIABILITY, EVERY YEAR. THE MAGAZINE'S ANNUAL RANKING, BASED ON A SURVEY OF ITS SUBSCRIBERS. JEFF BARTLETT SAYS THERE'S TYPICALLY SOME SHUFFLE WITHIN THE RANKINGS AS NEW CARS COME AND GO. THIS TIME- IN-CAR ELECTRONICS ARE COMING UP. JEFF BARTLETT/CONSUMER REPORTS CARS DEPUTY CONTENT EDITOR BUT THIS YEAR, ONE OF THE BIGGEST FACTORS IS THESE NEW, COMPLEX INFO-TAINMENT SYSTEMS. THESE HAVE RUN INTO PROBLEMS WITH CERTAIN BRANDS WHICH HAS CAUSED A BIT OF SHUFFLING. WHEN IT COMES TO THE AUTO RELIABILITY LIST, BARTLETT SAYS A KEY TO A TOP TEN PERFORMANCE IS CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE MODELS. ONE, TWO OR THREE MODELS CAN BRING DOWN THE OVERALL RATING FOR A BRAND. JEFF BARTLETT/CONSUMER REPORTS CARS DEPUTY CONTENT EDITOR WHICH REALLY REMINDS OF THE IMPORTANCE FROM THE CONSUMER STANDPOINT, MAKE SURE YOU DIG IN. DON'T GO BASED ON JUST HOW YOUR BRAND PERCEPTION IS, YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EACH MODEL DOES CAUSE IT DOESN'T MATTER IF ONE MODEL DOESN'T PERFORM WELL IF THAT'S NOT THE ONE YOU'RE BUYING. FOR THOSE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW FOR THOSE IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW CAR- HE SAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH. NOT JUST IN THE GENERAL FEATURES YOU'LL WANT, BUT IN OTHER AREAS, TOO - LIKE RELIABLITY, SAFETY, THE COST OF OWNERSHIP AND FUEL ECONOMY. JEFF BARTLETT/CONSUMER REPORTS CARS DEPUTY CONTENT EDITOR THERE ARE A LOT OF FACETS TO CHOOSING A CAR, BUT AS YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE PASSION ELEMENTS AS WELL AS SOME OF THE INTELLIGENCE ELEMENTS, YOU'LL COME DOWN TO A TYPE OF VEHICLE THAT YOU'D BE WILLING TO HOLD ONTO FOR FIVE YEARS OR MORE. IN MILWAUKEE. PATRICK PAOLANTONIO. W-I-S-N, 12 NEWS.